SIO Tips no. 60: Choosing a new colour Scheme

Paint lollipop sticks with the color you're painting  the walls in your house; take with you on shopping trips to match furniture, curtains, decorations, etc.

Write the make and name of the color on the back of the stick along with which room it's used and keep for easy reference in case you need to touch up the paintwork in the future.

SEEKITOUT: Changing the world a stitch at a time.

"No New Clothes for Jodie" - Part 1

Guest blog from Space to Sew

One of the things I love most about our sewing Club is the inspiration I get from what other members and our tutors are making; and of course the amazing camaraderie that goes with it. Folk are amazingly supportive of each other and I for one am hugely encouraged to get on with sewing projects that I wouldn't otherwise find time to work on. 
Sewing with others was one of the things I really missed when I moved up from London and surrounding myself with other 'sewists' has had its usual uplifting effect. As mentioned previously in Jodie's Placket Nightmare, one of our most inspiring Club members is Jodie (pictured above hugging her favourite her very beloved Overlocker). Her enthusiasm and determination are infectious as is her undaunted ability to try new challenges & push the boundaries of her sewing knowledge to the next level. I have to admit that I originally wondered if she would reach a 'sewing plateau' (I realised only recently that I have reached one of those myself as my original sewing goals have now been met). Yet not Jodie: she seems to be stretching herself even more than before and part of this is due to her decision at the start of the year that she would sew everything (yes, absolutely everything) she wears in 2013. Why? In her own words: "No New Clothes for Jodie". 
A few things led to the above sentence: "I have too many clothes, I really do, and I keep buying more. I make plans to go out for the evening then look to buy a new top or dress, why? I have clothes I can wear already. Is society or habit my reason for doing this? Then around the time of the New Year, I completed a mental checklist of all that I own and decided I had no actual need to buy clothes or much else. 
Then I thought, I want to be able to sew clothes and this can only come from practice, practice and some more practice. Combine the two: if I want something new to wear I am going to make it and the money I save on my buying can go towards sewing courses and sewing Club (I'm about to learn how to make a bra) to help me learn new skills and buy fabric (as we know this is not always cheap). I mentioned this at sewing club, and suddenly I felt committed as other people thought this sounded great. So.....no new clothes for Jodie. Wish me luck." Domini again: No luck needed Jodie. Your amazing determination and perseverance will see you through! 
Note: Since Jodie decided on her challenge I have decided to follow her example as has at least one other Club member. If any of you reading are doing the same please tell us about it by writing to: blog@spacetosew.co.uk. We will write back!

Part 2 coming to Seek It Out soon!

@SpacetoSew
www.spacetosew.co.uk

SIO Tips No. 21

Want to capture aspects from your wallpaper or curtain fabric to use elsewhere in your room design? Carefully and neatly cut out and frame. Cover the backing wood of the frame with a nice silk or other fabric as the base for your image, then very carefully adhere the cut out design to this backing fabric.  Use as clever accent pieces.

SEEK IT OUT: Changing the world a stitch at a time

Clocks spring forward….

It is not just the clocks that are going forward, a new and exciting website is also coming out from the shadows in early April, called Seek It Out. This site will inspire you, surprise you and even spoil you by adding a little more excitement to your life.

Seek It Out will help you find lovely things for your home, introduce you to many new hobbies, help you to understand those hobbies and find exciting events to attend.

So much under one roof, so many opportunities to interact with the team and other followers of Seek It Out. We are very different from so many websites because we are not a sell on only site. What we do is scour the Country and beyond looking for great designers to stock, we choose some of the best from the thousands of producers out there to ensure we control the quality, focus and the style of the ranges we stock ensuring you get products you will love.

We are very much at the dawn of stage one, we have many more stages to come, each opening yet another door to our customers, new lines, new ideas, and new designs will appear in the months ahead. So keep watching the clock is ticking and before long the door to Seek It Out will open….